In today's highly connected environment, users of mobile computing devices (such as smartphones, tablets, etc.) often have a choice among a number of mobile networks over which to connect to the digital world. For example, a typical mobile computing device may be capable of allowing a user to connect to various types of mobile networks, which may include cellular networks (e.g., 3G or 4G networks) and/or Wi-Fi networks. Additionally, at any given time and at any given location, a number of each of these mobile networks may be available to the user. For these reasons, users of mobile computing devices have begun looking for methods for selecting mobile networks.
One current method for selecting mobile networks may include allowing a user of a mobile computing device to define one or more static rules for selecting mobile networks. This method may allow a user to indicate the user's preference for certain mobile networks. For example, a user may define one or more rules that indicate a preference to connect to certain Wi-Fi networks while at home or work and/or a preference to connect to free mobile networks when possible.
Unfortunately, this and other methods for selecting mobile networks that use simple static rules may be unable to adapt to changes in the quality, reliability, and/or availability of mobile networks. For example, a user may have indicated a preference for a certain mobile network that over time has become unsuitable to the user based on a decrease in the quality, reliability, and/or availability of the mobile network, while at the same time, a new more suitable mobile network may have become available to the user. In this example, a method for selecting mobile networks that uses simple static rules may continue to select the unsuitable mobile network over the more suitable mobile network. Accordingly, the instant disclosure addresses a need for additional and improved systems and methods for dynamically modifying rules for selecting suitable mobile networks.